Each ticket is good for a prize, either a library tote bag, cup of coffee or hot cocoa or bottle of water.

The scavenger hunt is part of a year-long celebration of the library’s 90th anniversary.

“We’re trying to come up with creative ways to commemorate the anniversary without having a lot of money to spend,” said John Howard, the library’s technology coordinator and head of the 90th anniversary committee made up of six staff members.

Committee members and library staff hid the golden tickets in mid-July. As of Friday, eight tickets had been turned in.

Tickets can be redeemed at the library’s circulation desk through the end of the year, “but I’ll bet we’ll be getting them returned years from now,” Howard said.

The library has more than 100,000 items including about 80,000 books. Tickets weren’t placed into the approximately 10,000 children’s picture books because they typically aren’t long enough to have a page 90.

While Howard didn’t want to provide too many clues about where the tickets are hidden, he said many are in popular and newer books.

And several are in books written by John Steinbeck because Morton High School students are often assigned to read his works.

The golden ticket idea came from the popular 1964 children’s book, “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” by British author Roald Dahl.

In the story, chocolatier Willy Wonka hides golden tickets in five chocolate bars that are good for passage into his magical factory and a lifetime supply of his chocolate.

A kickoff party for the library’s 90th anniversary celebration was held April 23 at the library, 315 W. Pershing St.

The next event is a tea at 2 p.m. Aug. 26 at the library for area residents born in 1924 (the year the library became a public, tax-supported institution) or earlier and a guest. For reservations, call the library at 263-2200.

This is the library’s fourth location since 1924 — construction began in 1981 and the building opened in 1982 — but there have been only three directors.

Janice Sherman has been the director since 1979. Her predecessors were Marie Drexler (1925-1957) and Helen Hatcher (1957-1979).

Steve Stein can be reached at 686-3114 or stevestein21@yahoo.com. Read his Stein Time blog on pjstar.com. Follow him on Twitter @SpartanSteve.